adamjmeek

Alright, let me preface this post by saying I have little to no mechanical bicycle knowledge other than I have been riding my entire life in California and am experienced on beach cruisers, mountain bikes, and road bikes.

I am currently caught up in road cycling and preparing to participate in the Nevada City Classic in 2014.

In addition, I am now living and teaching in China where it is difficult to find someone who knows exactly what they are dealing with. In the past I was able to drop my bike off and pick it up fixed, now it is a different story--hence the fact I have been reading posts for about forty hours in the past week.

That being said, let me try to explain to you as many details of my bike and issues that I am having.

I have an early 2000's(?) 56cm Cannondale r500 2.8 Aluminum with RSX derailleurs and shifters.

It has a new double crank and the larger crank has 53 teeth and approximately an 11cm radius from the center bolt to the end of the tooth.

The cassette has seven gears, the largest having 24 teeth and the smallest has 11 teeth.

I am about 194 cm tall and weigh around 90 kilos. I cannot find a larger, lighter road bike---trust me I have tried.

The main issues I am having that are preventing me from riding fast:

1) Shifting to the largest gear on the crank.

It feels like the left shifter does not want to push the FD out, there is a lot of cable tension. When I fidget with the high and low screw on the FD, I can get the chain to catch on the large crank but then there is usually rubbing and/or rubbing on the smaller crank. I have fidgeted with these screws for hours. I have not messed around with the RD because I do not know what those screws do, and those gears shift fine.

I believe the actual shifters are good, I have flushed them with WD-40 and they have a fairly smooth double action. The left shifter shifts down three times with ease but it shifts up twice and then the third shift, to go to the largest gear, is met with a lot of cable tension and resistance.

2) Chain slipping when I apply too much pressure when climbing or from a dead stop.

This is driving me absolutely nuts. Right when I start really pushing it the chain slips and I rack my knee on the handlebar or snag my toe on the pavement. Even better, when I am trying to sprint from a stoplight, before I get hit by a crazy driver, the chain slips off and I am stuck in the middle of the intersection with cars heading straight for me.

My last ride it started to rain and the slipping got even worse.

I usually put a few drops of lube on my chain and the cassette before I ride.

12 links of chain measure just under 30.5cm, so I do not think the chain has stretched dramatically. In addition, my new double versus the original triple has a larger diameter, making up for any chain stretch(?)

The teeth on the cassette look pretty chewed. I think this is my next step. However, finding replacement parts is not as easy as in the States. I presume that most shimano seven speed cassettes will be compatible (?) or is there anything specific and/or vital that I should be looking for?

Thank you in advance for your help and I have posted poor quality (sorry) phone pics of the bike to my photobucket, sub-album "bikeforum."

https://s1089.photobucket.com/albums/...eek/bikeforum/

Thanks again for any advice, suggestions, comments, etc.

Peace.

wrk101

Chain slip almost always means worn cassette. I have never been able to tell by visually inspecting a cassette, unless it is really bad.

Figure on buying a new chain at the same time. I have a test route I use on rebuilt bikes. Of course, diagnosing a problem across the web is limited at best. Set chain length via method on Sheldon Brown site. High and low settings on derailleurs are just stops, or limits. Stop fiddling with these screws!!!! Read up derailleur adjustment on Park Tool site.

Your shifters are 12 years old or more. WD40 flushing has now removed most to all remaining lubrication/grease in those shifters.

Chain stretch is not a way to make your chain longer. It is a way to wear out cassettes and chainrings.

Sounds like it is time to become your own bike mechanic.

cny-bikeman

Wow, lots to cover.

First and foremost, to ride faster keep out of the highest gears unless you need to shift to them because your legs are spinning too fast. In your situation (not a highly trained racing cyclist) overpushing gears will get in the way of getting more fit and faster, period. The 53-11 is useless, good only for 40+ mph. Getting a 53 chainwheel is a mistake in my opinion, only made worse by the 11 tooth cog. Get the largest small cog you can at this point when you replace the cassette. A 53-13 is still more than you will need except downhill (35 mph+), and a larger small cog gives you closer spacing of gears, which allows you to better match the load to your body, and ultimately better speed.

A lighter bike will NOT make you go faster, even if it's all wheel weight - weight is well under a 1% effect at speed. Correct fitting can make a difference - correct frame but also saddle height and fore-aft position.

1) No offense intended but shifting problems need to be addressed methodically, and "fidgeting" or reading posts on the forum will never accomplish that. Google front derailleur adjustment and look at the procedure on the Parktool.com link, sheldonbrown.com and others (including videos) until you understand not only the how but the why. Then pick the one you like best and go through the entire procedure. Pay particular attention to any lubrication or replacement of cables that may be required (do to your coimplaint about excessive tension). You may indeed need new levers but that's not at all obvious at this point, so you need to eliminate the routine tasks first.

2) The first thing to address with chain slippage is rear derailleur adustment, as it may be the chain not being in alignment with the rear cog. If you conquer the front derailleur then the rear is generally more straightforward, but the same advice above applies - go through the entire procedure. I certainly can't hurt to get a new cassette, as it appears your chain has little or no stretch, assuming you measured it under tension. Doing both should eliminate any slippage. Again, you should not be starting up or climbing a hill pushing a high gear (except for out-of-the saddle which is infrequent).

The Nevada City Classic is a criterium on a 1.1 mile loop that includes a climb/downhill and right-angle and greater degree turns, as well as a long high speed section. It does not appear to have an Open class race, so is all USCF (USA Cycling) licensed riders. The Masters and Cat 3/4 race times are close to an hour, so you're looking at a 25+ mile race.

As a former cat 3 crit rider I can tell you that you have picked the most challenging race I can imagine. I would advise finding some preceding shorter, open class races, so you can learn something ahead of time. It will call for extremely good bike handling skills, strength for keeping with the pack coming out of the turns and going uphill. Here's a link to a cat 3/4 rider's experience in the 2012 race, in which 43 of 85 riders finished. I have never before seen or heard of a criterium with that kind of attrition.
https://fremontraceteam.org/2012/06/1...ity-classic-2/

One more note on high gears and weight vs. speed. I participated in two criteriums while on a loaded tour. At the time triples were hard to come by, so I had my bike set up with a 48-38 front and a 16-28 rear, so as to have the lowest gear I could for my crankset and rear derailleur capacity but not too wide a spread. I carried a 13-21 for racing, which gave me a 100 inch high gear. In the second race I stayed in the forward pack in a 3/4 crit that averaged a blistering 29 mph until I was boxed out. My bike was a 1976 Motobecane Grand Jubilee - not built for racing - that weighed about 24 lbs. I saw a few chuckles as I stripped off my touring gear and racks to prep for the race, but what counts is results, not bling.

mechBgon

Regarding the big-ring shift, if I were you and that's the equipment I had to work with, I'd do this:

1. disconnect the FD cable at the FD

2. use the limit screws to limit the derailleur's stroke. On the small chainring, and largest rear cog, use the LOW screw to provide maybe 0.5-1mm clearance between the chain and the inner FD plate. On the big ring and the smallest rear cog, use the HIGH screw to provide about 1mm clearance between the chain and the outer FD plate.

3. your shifters were made for a triple, but you're only using two of the three positions. Before connecting the shift cable at the FD, punch in an upshift on the shifter so it's in the middle-ring position. Now connect the FD and see if it shifts to the big chainring well. If it does, you'll have the cable go slack if you downshift the shifter to the granny-ring position, but whatever.

In the bigger picture, if this is an ongoing problem, just round up a downtube shifter and connect your FD to that. Bulletproof.

himespau 

Is your chain dropping to the inside or the outside of the rings?

Kimmo

This means you either need to back off the high limit screw, or screw the barrel adjuster in / let a bit of cable through the pinch bolt. Don't try to shift into the big ring while this is the case; you might break your shifter.

Can't you just order stuff online and have it sent to you?

OldsCOOL

Just a quick note: You have a nice bike, the R500 is a dandy and maybe someday I'll have one in my small collection. Keep it, maintain it and RIDE it. That is how you go faster.

The cog sizes on the rear (freewheel??) is a tough little bunch. Try to swap it out for a something like a 28/13 or so, just to "grow" into. You dont have much selection there for strong headwinds or inclines.

cny-bikeman

BIG P.S. Did not really look at the pics til now. Front derailleur cage is too far above chainwheels. Again - go through entire procedure, including positioning of derailleur on seat tube.

jyl

I can't fully understand what problem you are having with the FD. It is not clear to me if you are unable to get the FD cage far enough "out" (away from the bike's centerline) to shift to the large chainring, or if you are unable to get the cage far enough "in" to shift to the small ring, or both. But I noticed you replaced the original crank with a double crank. Is it possible that the new crank required a different width bottom bracket spindle, so that it now sits farther out or in than the original crank did? Do you still have the original crank?

I would not entrust your bike to any questionable mechanics. Too easy for it to come back with a crushed seat tube. Become your own mechanic. It is not hard.

3alarmer 

Can't go as fast as you think you should ? Welcome to my world, my friend...........

DannoXYZ 

Follow this Park Tool - front derailleur adjustment guide to set up the FD. Go in order, do not skip steps. Good luck!

BTW - my fastest gear for +40mph sprints? A 50x15t.

DannoXYZ 

The 2nd photo in your album shows the cassette gears are seriously worn. That's the cause of your #2 problem. Even if you replace the chain, the worn cassette cogs will cause your new chain to wear out very quickly.

Also you'll need to thoroughly clean your chain every 2-weeks. Spray it all over with WD-40 and wipe off while spinning backwards. You want to remove as much dirt as possible before adding fresh lube.

adamjmeek

Thank you everyone for your responses.

Not only are they very helpful and insightful, but they also give me a slight sense of companionship which is nice.

It sounds like a new cassette and chain are in my future, re-greasing the shifters, possibly new cables, and checking RD/FD alignment again.

After three hours of looking at the Chinese equivalent of Ebay in conjunction with translation software, I was able to find a matching HG-50 12/21 cassette so I am stoked about that. I will change the chain when I change the cassette.

To answer your questions:

1) Yes, it is time to become my own bicycle mechanic. Every time I try, I end up covered in sweat and grease with a non-functioning bike. Then I become enraged and look to vent on my venting machine (bike) which is inoperable. Cue exponential rage. Knowledge is power so I need to create a new cognitive partition for bike mechanics. Bikes are like women, they look so simple but they have certain components with extremely complicated inner workings that once unraveled are very difficult to return to original/working status.

2) In regard to speed, and my gearing. I have read the articles on 53x12 and understand pedal cadence and the difference between 60rpm and 90rpm. This is going to sound ridiculous but now I understand what 53x12 means also. When I typed the URL I was thinking hmmm...that's an interesting URL--what does it mean? Now I know. I am hitting 60+rpm in my 53x11 on slight downhills at about 62-67km/h. I will look for a cassette that has...12+ teeth for better gear spacing and overall utility.

3) I measured the chain under what I believe is tension; I measured the bottom portion while it was on the gears, no pedal thrust if that makes sense. When it falls off, it falls to the inside. Using a penny as a spacer (park tools), it indeed does look like my FD is positioned too high.

4) Yes the Nevada City Classic is beyond intense. I am setting my goals high. Real high. I'm looking forward to giving the ultimate Father's Day gift by qualifying to participate if/when I ever make it back to the States...

5) In regard to my FD alignment, I am having trouble getting the cage far enough out to reach my largest gear. My left shifter has very high cable tension when I try to shift it out to the highest gear and I have to press hard to make it shift out that way. Changing the limit screws has helped a little bit with this. I need to re-grease the shifters. I have a friend bringing a new derailleur from the States for me, I think it may actually be slightly bent.

I am looking forward to using some of my American Crew hair product (molding clay) composed primarily of petrolatum and bees wax to grease my shifting ratchets.

6) In regard to Chinese mechanic hacks and having parts shipped: Yes, everything is made in China. No, you cannot buy most of these Chinese made products in China. Most suppliers either refuse to ship to China or have ridiculous shipping costs. If a product does arrive in China, then you get to deal with customs agents and other people who want their cut. In the end, a part can cost four to five times the original price. 90% of the mechanics here are hacks. They know how to assemble bikes and they know how to tell me my bike is too old and I should buy a newly assembled one--and that's about it.

I want to represent Cannondale and made in the USA products as much as I can so I am resisting the urge to give in to purchasing a Giant or Triace.

I will repost an update when I do any of the abovementioned repairs and let you know what happened.

It should be about a week to receive/install the new cassette and chain.

Thanks again everyone--I appreciate your time and assistance.

Ride hard or go home.

DCB0

You need to start at square 1 and re-set both derailleurs. You can't take a half-maladjusted front derailleur and simply twiddle the limit screws and expect it to be good. Limit screws only affect one part of the total function, but can't do anything with the other aspects if they are not perfect.

Also, the fit of the bike is more important than you can imagine. I am approxiately the same height as you and I ride a 62 or 64 cm bike. I could absolutely not get comforatble on a 56 cm bike. Find a cheap frame in the right size online and pay whatever it takes to get it. Online shops have very cheap prices for basic stuff similar quality to a Cannondale aluminum frame - less than $100 - even if it doubled in price to get to your door it will be worth it as the bike is basically worthless to you as it is. Perhaps someone in the states can buy a cheap frame fork and headset, box it up and send it as a 'gift.'

If you go to buy pants and all you can find is XXS size pants at a sale price, and your size is 3X more expensive, you will have to buy the 3X more expensive pants.

caloso

I was one of the 42 who were pulled or dropped.

Nevada City is far and away the hardest race I've ever done. It is insanely hard. While you're fixing your bike, you're also going to need to drop at least 10kg from the engine. Not being harsh, that's just the way the math works out.

Good luck.

ThermionicScott 

The mechanical stuff has been covered pretty well, I think. Once you get a functioning bike again, you need to work on spinning those pedals at a faster rate. 60-90 RPM is a good cruising range, but you'll want to be able to rev up to 120 RPM or more if you want good acceleration. (DannoXYZ hinted at this, too.)

fietsbob

There are people who carry 8 water bottles up thru the peloton,
to hydrate their teammates, not every one leads from the front in bike racing..

Fix the bike , ride more, work harder..

cny-bikeman

Yea, no way anything but top-flight preparation is going to cut it - that course requires extreme bike handling skills, a lot of shifting, hard acceleration out of the turns, two dozen or so short climbs and more endurance than any normal criterium. I'm not sure I would have even attempted one like that.

DCB0

ANd BTW, Cannondale is no longer made in the USA, as of a couple years ago. Your bike is propbably in the last few years of USA made models... but because it is much much too small for you it is still worse than an old 7 lb electro-forged Schwinn frame that actually fits.

adamjmeek

Once again I appreciate your enthusiasm toward this post and consider all of your comments with care.

I am fully aware of how grueling the NC Classic is. The more you tell me how ridiculous it is; the more it inspires me to work toward that goal--thank you. I am in essence shooting for the moon.

I can be at 80kg in less than a month, engine weight shouldn't be an issue, I weighed in at 85kg this morning at the LBS.

The 56cm frame is what it is and I don't have the money to re-invest at this point.

Shipping a $100 frame (most likely $200-$300) would cost at the least about $200 + at least $100 in customs fees and other fees. I don't have an additional $400-$700 to drop.

Getting the essentials is enough of an expense right now; extra tubes, bike tools, lube, pump, helmet, shorts, jersey, lights, tires, shoes, pedals, etc., it adds up fast as you know.

The 56cm works well for me, I have a long torso and short arms. If I can dominate and feel comfortable on a 56cm frame, if/when I get home I can dominate on a 62cm frame and feel that much more comfortable and aero. My motorcycle is too small for me as well. I love it, it is what it is. Humans are meant to adapt. As a 194cm human, I have been doing this for a long time and it has prepared me well for my current life in China.

I was working on my RPM today, before I ran over a carpet nail and punctured my tube 3x, and I'm finding it easier to consistently be at about two revolutions per second so things are looking good. This is with x-trainers and MTB pedals.

I ordered the new cassette and chain today, they should be here in about five days. I will make sure to fully adjust the RD and FD once those items are installed.

Thanks again and please feel free to continue offering your valuable suggestions and insight.

DannoXYZ 

Be careful about using body-weight as a performance measurement. It's very easily to lose muscle-mass while shedding the pounds and you end up with lower power-output and can end up being slower than before. What's more helpful is tracking body-fat %percentage. Use strength-building workouts to restore the lost muscle.

This is very good! Add in riding one-legged for 20-30 seconds at a time while on the road. Also do max-RPM spin-up exercises. As you crest a hill, stay in the same low gear and use the bike's downhill acceleration to help you spin up your legs as fast as possible. Or you also do spin-ups on a trainer. My max is in the 210-240rpm range and when I'm in a real sprint for the finish at 120-130rpms, I'm much smoother and more efficient than someone whose max is 130rpms. They will be wasting most of their energy just moving their legs around, bouncing up and down with very little power getthing through the pedals to the wheels.

For grueling crits like the NC Classic, Cats Hill in Los Gatos or S.F. Presidio, I recommend a regimented training programme planned out at least a year in advance. You should know what you'll be doing on 24-Jun-2013. I'll also recommend reviewing these very helpful books:

The Cyclist's Training Bible
Bicycle Road Racing: The Complete Program for Training and Competition
Technik™ Manual; haven't read this one, I was coached by David Brinton for a summer in Colorado
The Lance Armstrong Performance Program: Seven Weeks to the Perfect Ride
And this Power-based workouts guide. Put together by our very own waterrockets and BDcheung.

Good luck!

fietsbob

You might get the fit better with a longer reach stem ,
a plug conversion and a long threadless stem
you will note race bikes have pretty short height stem setups

and a tall enough seat post.. needs to go in the frame 4 inches..


Renew the drivetrain, cassette.. 7 speed still,
might be able to add a couple teeth for the hills, 26t
(Eddy M climbed the alps in a 42/26)
[since you cannot spread Cannondale aluminum frames]
new chain and chainrings..
new die drawn cables and housing
take off the derailleur and get lubrication into the pivots,
and so forth.. a step by step Overhaul.

FastJake

So you're 6'4" and you're riding a 56cm bike? If you haven't killed your knees already consider yourself very lucky. Humans are meant to adapt, but only in some aspects. Bike fit matters a LOT.

You said you could not afford a larger frame at the moment, but get one as soon as you can. Personally I'd consider it a safety issue for the health of your knees. Unless you have a 400mm seatpost on there and are actually getting proper leg extension.

caloso

Interesting. You're going to use hair product to lube your shifters? Did I read that correctly?

adamjmeek

Alright party people here's the update you've all been anxiously awaiting...

I ordered a new 7-speed cassette and chain, both shimano from a LBS via taobao (Chinese Ebay). I called them after a week and they told me their account ran out of money and they lost my phone number, so no parts. Awesome. I had a friend order the parts and waited another week. Received the parts and had time today to go to the same LBS and asked him to help me. It was almost 12 on the dot and in China, 12 means lunch time. Everyone stops and eats lunch together, usually huddled around a small table with their heads almost touching.

As soon as I walked in, his buddy walked in behind me with a bag of food. I told him to please go eat and I would wait. He told me no and began working on my bike. He put the new cassette and chain on and made some minor adjustments to the RD and FD. I cleaned the pivots and lubed them. I took it outside for a quick spin and experienced no skipping. I came back inside and asked him how much. No charge. Are you sure? Sweet.

Took the bike on a short 50km circuit and was able to get out of the saddle and sprint and climb. This is the feeling I have been waiting for. My chain has been skipping for so long I actually had to remind myself I could get out of the saddle. I grew up riding BMX so I am used to being out of the saddle for a large majority of any bike ride. My evolution went from BMX to mountain bike to beachcruiser to road bike. Oh what a feeling being able to get out of the saddle without the chain skipping. [cue oh what a feelin' 80's song here] I still have some chain rub but for the most part I can deal with that for now. When I look down directly at the chain while I am riding, it almost looks like the top part of the chain is swaying a little from side to side?

To answer your questions and comments:

In regard to RPM's: I went from a largest cog 23 tooth cassette to a largest cog 21 tooth cassette coupled with my 53 tooth crank. Sometimes when I try to rev my RPM's to the limit it almost feels like I'm bouncing on my saddle if that makes any sense. I try to control the hip sway but eventually it feels like I'm just bouncing on my saddle. This may have something to do with one leg being about an inch or so longer than the other leg? I'm not sure what my maximum RPM's are at this point, probably somewhere in the 150-170 range I presume. I am going to try the one-legged RPM exercise but don't want to strain my patellar tendon too much. I will try it and see how it feels. Any ideas on how to alleviate the bouncing are appreciated. I suppose I just need to concentrate on keeping my butt grounded in the saddle and directing all force from my thighs down.

In regard to bike size and seatpost: I did the poor man's fitting where I balanced myself against the wall and fully extended one leg until my heel almost touched the ground. This is where I set my seatpost. I have not reached any limit markings so the seatpost is good. I am feeling more comfortable in the drops (almost more comfortable than on the hoods) and trying to work on my knees not slapping my forearms while in the drops. From what I have seen online, riders almost curve their knees inward at the top of the revolution in order to not hit their forearms. Being able to simply look a few feet in front of my tire is not a luxury I have in China where people ride the wrong way on roads all the time, including my favorite: three-wheeled motorcycles carrying loads of propane tanks. When I am able to get somewhat aero, I'm hitting alright speeds on a long minimal downhill; I hit 71.1 km/h...and then got a snakebite.

In regard to a regimented program and the NC Classic: My goal date for this is 2015, when I am 35 and can compete in the 35+ age class. As I am out of the country, it appears that I will have to be sponsored and compete in a few races before this event. The bottom line is we're not talking about the RAAM here. Yes it is a very intense race, about one hour of balls to the wall pedal smashing madness. I have logged 400 miles so far this month with chain skipping and several non-ride days. The chain skipping was actually a mixed blessing because it taught me how to gently massage the pedals in a seated ascent without any hesitation in the revolution. I found that massaging the pedals also helps get blood back into numb toes. I would actually like to take a year off and compete in all of the most difficult races in California, especially the AMGEN Tour of California.

In regard to using my American Crew petrolatum and beeswax hair product on my shifters: I have not tried it yet, just using chain lube on all of the ratchets so far and things are working out alright. The main issue I had with the shifters was getting out to the largest 53 tooth crank. It just looks so rad when I see the chain shifting on to the 53 tooth crank. Like a metal cobra coiling getting ready to strike. I don't see what real harm the product could do to the shifters, it never hardens and is always greasy. I will most likely stop by the local monkey wrench and ask for a dab of rotor grease and slap it in there.

In other news: I find it extremely difficult to get motivated and in any sort of rhythm without my noise-isolating earbuds pumping trance of some kind into my brain. Anyone with ideas on how to ween myself off of that is appreciated. I also find it annoying when sweat drips onto the inside of my shades and clouds them.

And that is the rest of the story.

Thanks again everyone for everything.

Ride hard or go home.